Forest Service seeks comments on Burnt Mountain egress

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SNOWMASS VILLAGE - The White River National Forest is seeking feedback on a proposal from the Aspen Skiing Co. to complete a skier egress trail in the Burnt Mountain portion of Snowmass ski area.

The proposed trail was first analyzed in the Snowmass Master Plan Amendment - Ski Area Improvements Environmental Assessment and approved in February 2006. However, subsequent to an appeal filed on the 2006 decision, a segment of the egress trail was remanded from the 2006 Environmental Assessment approval and additional analysis was needed because it was located in an area that was at that time an inventoried roadless area. The inventoried roadless area extended into the ski area's special use permit boundary. In 2012, the Colorado Roadless Rule removed all inventoried roadless areas from within ski area boundaries in Colorado. The Forest Service will re-analyze the environmental effects of the segment of trail remanded in 2006 to determine if any new conditions require additional analysis as directed by the National Environmental Policy Act.

The proposed trail would provide egress from the newly gladed ski terrain on the eastern portions of Burnt Mountain to the Long Shot ski trail. This would allow users to continue down to the Two Creeks base area and lift. The trail segment will be approximately 3,100 feet long with an average width of 35 feet. It will require removing select trees within a 2.5-acre area. Additionally, up to 500 linear feet of spot grading within the area proposed for tree removal might be required. To minimize impacts, tree removal and trail preparation would be conducted using design criteria and best management practices.